“You haven’t taught until they have learned”~John Wooden If you want your players to learn and make it stick, you need to make it harder. By harder, I don’t necessarily need physically more challenging. Many studies indicate that the learning process is more lasting if there are learning challenges that make the process more difficult.…
Unless there is a galactic championship out there, the Olympics demonstrates volleyball at the highest level. As the Olympics wind down, I find myself bleary-eyed from watching as many matches and events as possible. I have the utmost respect for these athletes that push the edges of their talents. Although these are the best players…
If you want to play better on game night, you must have productive and efficient training sessions. That’s a “no brainer” statement. The challenge is how to create productive training sessions. I want to provide components of a productive training session that I value. There is no question that there are many practice formats by…
Being proficient in serving and passing is essential to point-scoring opportunities, either directly or indirectly. With an effective serve, I can earn points directly via serve aces or force the opponent out-of-system and into an easily defended attack. At every level, there is a direct correlation between the quality of the pass and the ability…
Jim Collins, the author of the best-selling business book “Good to Great,” was giving a speech on leadership. He offered the following scenario. “I would like you to picture Abraham Lincoln, sitting there at 1:30 in the morning in October 1862, getting the battle reports from Antietam. Seven thousand Americans, North and South, dying in…
All coaches want positive vibes to permeate the team environment. Rarely do these vibes occur by accident. Unfortunately, society sends a strong message that it’s all about the individual, not the team. So, it’s swimming upstream for some players to be supportive and engaged when the spotlight is not on them. A wise coach budgets…
An often asked question is how to create a great team culture. Building culture is one aspect of a program that you need to start with a finish in mind. What values do you want your team to reflect, and how might a coach instill those values? Perhaps the jumping-off point is this video that…
In the most recent post, we presented information about the upcoming push for the athletes to control their ability to market their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL). Legislation that will allow collegiate athletes to market themselves will be initiated very soon. The only question is the format and source of the legislation. It will benefit…
Part 1 of a two-part series. In the next five to ten years, there will be shifting sands of change in the world of collegiate athletics. Anybody claiming insights into what those changes will be, and the ensuing results, are merely guessing. What is not a guess is the ramifications of the upcoming changes will…
Volleyball is a game of movement. Players move in order to move again. We aren’t playing darts or chess; we play a sport where six players need to effectively cover 840 square feet and keep the ball from hitting the floor on their half of the net. At times, especially in serve-receive, three players are…